Messages

Peace everyone,

Thanks for your replies.

[Resources for the Study of the Qur'an]

I would like to share a few more links here. These links will most likely be the last links that I will share in this thread.

Resources for the Study of the Qur'an

https://www.unc.edu/~cernst/quranstudy.htm

The meaning of the word: Lexicology and Qur'anic exegesis by S.R. Burge

http://www.mehdi-azaiez.org/Publication-of-The-Meaning-of-the

Animals in the Qur'an by Sarra Tlili

http://www.mehdi-azaiez.org/Animals-in-the-Qur-an-Sarra-TLILI

Creation and Termination: A semantic Study of the Structure of the Qur??nic World View by Shinya Makino

http://www.mehdi-azaiez.org/Creation-and-Termination-A

Peace everyone,

I'd like to share an interesting text from a book here. The title of the text is "Irony in the Quran: A study of the Story of Joseph. The text is written by Mustansir Mir. To read the text, go to chapter 8, page 173 in this link.

https://books.google.no/books?id=Bdq3AAAAQBAJ&pg=PA187&lpg=PA187&dq=asad+islahi&source=bl&ots=fDxd8cSOO8&sig=_wlFdY4opIM7kSI4DieeNvdzSeU&hl=no&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjchML05p7NAhUJCpoKHR7aDVYQ6AEITjAJ#v=onepage&q=asad%20islahi&f=false

Folks,

I'd like to ask you a question.

Do you have any tips regarding how to spread the message of Al-Quran?

I believe all of us can learn from each others thoughts, views and experiences. So I'd be interested to hear your thoughts, views and experiences regarding how to spread the message of Al-Quran. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. 

[here]

Peace everyone,

I believe it's of utmost importance to spread the message of Al-Quran. And I think there are many simple, practical, inexpensive (cost-effective) and time-efficient ways to spread the message of Al-Quran. The importance of spreading the message of Al-Quran must not be underestimated, in my opinion. Because it seems that the message of Al-Quran can literally transform the lives of others and change the course of history. In a past post on this forum, I have written about why I think it's important to spread the message of Al-Quran (you can read it here).

In this post, I'd like to share some of my thoughts and views about how to spread the message of Al-Quran. It seems that most muslims on this forum, had to know some Quranic information and historical information about Hadith, before they could embrace "islam based on Al-Quran" aka monotheism. And if that's the case, then sharing Quranic information and historical information about Hadith to muslims, seem to be of utmost importance. But unfortunately, it seems that this approach won't convince the majority of muslims to alter/change their beliefs. For example, before I found "islam based on Al-Quran", I read a book that was written by a highly rational muslim thinker/author. In his book, he argued that islam is a rational and just religion. And in his book, he argued that islam is compatible with human rights, women rights and even science. His book had a lot of thought-provoking information about islam/quran. But his book had no thought-provoking information about Hadith. His book prepared me for learning about "islam based on Al-Quran." If I hadn't read his book, I would probably ignore/reject all the controversial facts that I discovered about Hadith some years later. It seems that controversial facts about Hadith won't convince the majority of muslims to alter/change their beliefs. It seems that controversial facts about Hadith will only convince a minority of muslims to alter/change their beliefs. Therefore, it seems that if one wants to appeal to the majority of muslims, then one must use a different approach.

I think in order to appeal to as many muslims as possible, one must use a twofold approach.

1) Share thought-provoking information about Hadith with others. For example, write an article/essay where you share thought-provoking information about Hadith. It seems that thought-provoking information about Hadith will appeal to a minority of muslims. Therefore, this approach seems to be a great approach to use if one wants to appeal to a minority of muslims.

2) Share thought-provoking information about islam/quran with others. But don't share any thought-provoking information about Hadith with others. For example, write an article/essay where you share thought-provoking information about islam/quran. But don't share any thought-provoking information about Hadith in your article/essay. It seems that thought-provoking information about islam/quran (minus Hadith) will appeal to the majority of muslims. Therefore, this approach seems to be a great approach to use if one wants to appeal to the majority of muslims.

I think if one uses a twofold approach, one will be able to appeal to as many muslims as possible. Therefore, I think it's prudent to use a twofold approach when it comes to spreading the message of Al-Quran.

As you all know, one way to spread the message of Al-Quran is by writing posts and participating in discussions on this forum. But I don't think this is the best way or the only way to spread the message of Al-Quran. In my view, there are many ways to spread the message of Al-quran outside of this forum. Therefore, I strongly recommend spreading the message of Al-Quran outside of this forum as well. But how can we spread the message of Al-Quran outside of this forum? Well, I believe there are many ways to spread the message of Al-Quran outside of this forum. As a matter of fact, there are more than 20 ways to spread the message of Al-Quran outside of this forum. Anyway, I'd like to share some information about different ways to spread the message of Al-Quran outside of this forum.

- Write articles, essays, short stories, poems and books about islam/quran and share them on a blog/website.
- Write comics about islam/quran.
- Write reviews of books about islam/quran.
- Write summaries of books about islam/quran.
- Translate articles about islam/quran from one language to another (you can read about this approach here).
- Participate in discussions/debates about islam/quran on chat rooms, forums, facebook and other places. 
- Make flyers with information about islam/quran and pass them out to people (you can read about this approach here).
- Make pamphlets with short texts about islam/quran and pass them out to people.
- Make leaflets with links to websites with "Quran study tools" and stick them up in Mosques and other places (click here).
- Make small posters about islam/quran and hang them on the walls at schools, universities/colleges, libraries and other places.
- Buy copies of books about islam/quran and give them to others (you can read about this approach here).
- Buy copies of translations of the Quran and give them to others.
- Scan books about islam/quran and get permission from the authors of those books to share them online.
- Have conversations about islam/quran with your family, friends, acquaintances and strangers.
- Send emails with information about islam/quran to muslims and people of other faiths.
- Give speeches at conferences, universities/colleges, prisons, libraries and other places. 
- Organize workshops about islam/quran at schools and other community centers.
- Interview muslim thinkers/authors about islam/quran.
- Create forums about islam/quran.
- Create infographics about islam/quran.
- Create videos about islam/quran.
- Create podcasts about islam/quran.

Peace Wakas,

I agree with your views.

[say/qul]

Peace Wakas and everyone else,

I believe mmkhan pointed this out:

So eat, drink and cool your eyes. Then if you see any human being, say/qul, ?I have vowed an abstinence for the Almighty and therefore, not I will speak/kallim to any human today.? (19:26)

The word sawm/abstinence does not inherently link to eating/drinking/speaking, hence the explanation above (most likely).

Good point. Your view of Sawm and mmkhan's view of Sawm is similar to my view on Sawm (I have shared my view on Sawm here).

Quran 19:25-26 "Shake the trunk of this palm tree, it will cause ripe dates to fall upon you." "So eat and drink and be happy. If you see any human being, then say, 'I have declared a fast (Sawman) for the Gracious, and I will not talk today to any of the people.'"

In the above-mentioned verses, Al-Quran suggests that Maryam is allowed to eat food (e.g. ripe dates) and drink while she is doing Sawm. Therefore, Sawm doesn't seem to have anything to do with fasting from food and drink in the above-mentioned verses.

It seems that there are several verses in Al-Quran, where the word/term Sawm (abstinence) has nothing to do with food and drink. I'd like to share a link to an excellent post about the word/term Sawm here. Some of you might be interested in reading it.

"SAWM" - ABSTINENCE; another multiple meaning word to be careful with.

http://free-minds.org/forum/index.php?topic=12286.msg94570#msg94570

["How Christianity came to Japan."]

Peace everyone,

Lately, I have been studying the history of Christianity in Japan (particularly the life and work of some European missionaries). In my view, European missionaries in Japan were extraordinarily dedicated to their work. And I think there are some important lessons to learn from their work (especially in regard to spreading the message of Al-Quran). In this post, I'd like to share some historical information about "How Christianity came to Japan." But before I do that, I would like to share some of my thoughts and views about this country.

Japan is a very unique and fascinating country, in my opinion. The Japanese name for Japan is Nippon or Nihon, which literally means "sun origin." And Japan is often called the "Land of the Rising Sun." Japan used to be my favorite country in the past. But it is no longer my favorite country. That being said, I still like Japan a lot. Unlike many countries in the west, Japan hasn't been involved in wars (since 1946). And as far as I know, Japan is the only country in the Asian continent that have had a pacifist constitution since WW2. In my view, Japan has the best constitution in the Asian continent and one of the best constitutions in the world. I think Japan is a very succesful country. Apparently, one of the secrets of Japan's success is due to its great constution. In the Japanese constitution, article 9 forbids war and a standing army. But unfortunately, the Prime minister of Japan has resolved to amend article 9 of the country's constitution. If that happens, then Japan might increase its military spending dramatically and engage in the foreign wars of its allies. If Japan does these things in the future, then this country might decline. Today the constitution of Japan only allows war in self-defence. And from my understanding of Al-Quran, islam only allows war in self-defence (2:119, 9:13 and 22:39). Therefore, the law regarding war in self-defence in the Japanese constitution, is similar to the law regarding war in self-defence in Al-Quran.

Japan has a history which goes back thousands of years. And Japan is an island country, which has been isolated for centuries. Japan is not a perfect country. But Japan's contributions to the world in regard to culture, science, technology, philosophy, fine arts and literature has been tremendous. No one can deny that Japan is one of the most highly developed countries in the world. Japan has a high life expectancy, low crime rate, advanced technology, ultra-reliable cars and the best railway system in the entire world. Unlike many countries in the world, Japan has been able to retain many of its old customs and tradtions. Although Japan isn't a perfect country, no one can deny that Japan has done exceptionally well. But how did Japan manage to become a succesful country under complete isolation from the rest of the world? I think the ancestors of the modern Japanese, laid the foundation of modern Japan. In my view, if it hadn't been for the ancestors of the modern Japanese, Japan wouldn't be a very succesful country in our era. Japan has a very fascinating history, in my opinion. And I think in order to understand how Japan became a succesful country, one has to study the history of Japan, but I digress. Let me share some historical information about "How christianity came to Japan."

In 1543, the Portuguese arrived in Japan. A big ship arrived on the shore and three portuguese merchants walked onto the beach. They were the first westerners to ever to set foot on Japanese shores. These strangers were unlike anyone the Japanese had ever seen. When the portuguese arrived in the year of 1543, Samurai guards quickly went to warn their masters. And the portugese were summoned by a daimyo (a feudal lord). The portuguese had very strange weapons. And the daimyo was fascinated by their weapons. The portuguese merchants showed the Daimyo how their weapons worked. And their weapons worked very well. After the Daimyo saw how well their weapons worked, he was fascinated and impressed by their weapons. Thus, he was interested in buying some weapons from them. He purchased two guns from them. Then he put his swordsmith to work in order to make copies of the guns he had purchased. Afterwards, he asked the portuguese merchants to give him shooting lessons.

Some years later Portuguese merchants traversed the oceans in search of new ports for trade. They were accompanied by Jesuit missionaries who searched for souls to save. The Jesuits were young and brave. And they were eager to spread the message of the Bible to others. The voyage to Japan took two years. It was a dangerous journey. But the Jesuits were willing to go through a lot of adversity in order to reach Japan. The Jesuit missionaries believed that Japan was ripe for conversion. They sent exciting reports back home. They thought that Japan was very mysterious and different. The missionaries were very impressed by the Japanese. And they thought that the Japanese were a remarkable race. The Japanese had a well-developed culture. And they had a very complex political system. They had gotten these things without any influence from Christianity. And without any influence from Europe. Therefore, the missionaries thought it was worthwhile to write back to Europe about their experiences. For the first time, Europeans dealth with asians on equal terms. In other words, they didn't deal with them as conquerors and conquered people.

In 1525, a man by the name of Francis Xavier (born in Spain), left his homeland in order to pursue his studies at the University of Paris. Francis would never return to his homeland. And he would never see his family again. In Paris, Francis met two other students, Peter Faber (Pierre Favre) and Ignatius of Loyola. These students would have a significant influence on his life. Ignatius had a humble and simple lifestyle. And he had devoted his life wholly to the Christian faith. Ignatius encouraged Francis to completely devote his life to the Christian faith. But Francis was an ambitious man with ambitious plans who wanted to accomplish earthly greatness. Therefore, the humble and simple lifestyle of Ignatius didn't appeal to him. However, Ignatius was determined to convince Francis to abandon his current lifestyle in favor of complete devotion to Christianity.

In his book, The lives of the primitive fathers, martyrs, and principal saints volume 12, the English Roman Catholic Priest and Hagiograper Alban Butler, writes:

...Francis, whose head was full of ambitious thoughts, made a long and vigorous resistance,  and bantered an rallied Ignatius on all occasions, ridiculig the meanness and poverty in which he lived as a degenerate lowness of soul. Ignatius repaid his contempt with meakness and kindness, and continued to repeat sometimes to him: What will it profit a man to gain the whole world, and lose his own soul. This made no impression on one who was dazzled with vain-glory, and, under pretences, joined false maxims of worldly decency in his idea of Christian virtue. Ignatius, assaulting him on  the weaker side, often congratulated with him for his talents and learning, applauded his lectures, and made it his business to procure him scholars: also on certain occasion when he was in necessity, he furnished him with money. Francis having a generous soul, was moved with gratitude, and considered that Ignatius was of great birth, and that only the fear of God had inspired him with the choice of the life which he led. He began, therefore, to look on Ignatius with other eyes, and to hearken his discourses... Sometime after this, having one day found Xavier more than ordinarily attentive, he repeated to him these words more forcible than ever: What will it profit a man to gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? and remonstrated, that so noble a soul ought not to confine itself to the vain honours of this world, that celestial glory was the only object for his ambition, and that it was against reason not to prefer that which is eternally to last before what vanishes like a dream. Xavier then began to see into the emptiness of earthly greatness, and to find himself powerfully touched with the love of heavenly things. Yet it was not without many serious thoughts, and grievious struggles, that this soul was overcome by the power of those eternal truths, and he took a resolution of squaring his life entirely by the most perfect maxims of the gospel. For this purpose he gave himself up to the conduct of Ignatius: and the direction of so enlightened a guide made the paths of perfection easy to him. From his new master he learned that the first step in his conversion was to subdue his predominant passion, and that vain-glory was his most dangerous enemy. His main endeavours therefore were bent from that time to humble himself, and confound his pride. And well knowing that the interior victory over our own heart and its passions is not to be gained without mortifying the flesh, and bringing the senses into subjection, he undertook this conquest by haircloth, fasting, and other austerities.

Ignatius had inspired Francis to devote his life to his faith rather than seeking for fame, power and glory. Francis' life had completely changed. Later, Francis became a Roman catholic Jesuit missionary. He did missionary work in Goa (India), Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Malacca (Malaysia and Singapore), Malaku Islands (Indonesia) and Japan. He also travelled to China.

In 1547,  Francis Xavier met a Japanese man by the name of Anjiro. Francis met Anjiro while he was in a Portuguese Ship in Malacca. Anjiro lived in exile in Malacca. And he was a speaker of Portuguese. So he was able to converse with Francis. He told Francis much about his former life in his beloved homeland. Anjiro was a man from the Samurai Class. He had commited a crime and fled from his homeland to avoid arrest. From Anjiro, Francis heard about the culture and customs of the ancient Kingdom of Japan. While Francis had a conversation with Anjiro aboard the ship, he asked him: "If I went to Japan, would the people become Christians?" Anjiro gave him this reply:

"My people would not immediately become Christians; but they would first ask you a multitude of questions, weighing carefully your answers and your claims. Above all, they would observe whether your conduct agreed with your words. If you should satisfy them on these points - by suitable replies to their inquiries and by a life above reproach - then, as soon as the matter was known and fully examined, the king [daimyo], the nobles, and the educated people would become Christians. Six months would suffice; for the nation is one that always follows the guidance of reason."

Francis was exceedingly excited and decided to plant the seeds of his faith in this Kingdom. Anjiro was going to be his guide, interpreter and translator in his mission to spread the message of the Bible. Anjiro became the first Japanese Christian. And he adopted the name of Paulo de Santa F? (Paul of the Holy faith).

The journey to Japan was a journey of great hardship. But this didn't discourage Francis to embark on this journey. He had made up his mind to visit Japan. And he had planned to dedicate his life to his mission.

In his book, Tanegashima - The arrival of Europe in Japan, the Danish Scholar of Japanese literature and philosophy, Olof G. Lidin, writes:

...it was a long way from Goa to Japan, and the route via Malacca was infested with pirates and made difficult by storms. But with faith in God he set out. And why should he be scared? God was on his side and, as he wrote, ?God is the master of all storms and stronger than all pirates.?

In 1549, Francis Xavier arrived in the Japanese shores of Kagoshima. He was accompanied by Anjiro and five other men. Kagoshima was the capital of Satsuma (the southernmost province of Japan). Francis became the first Christian missionary in Japan. He was received well by the prince (lord) of Satsuma.

In his book, The Awakening of the East: Siberia - Japan - China, the French Economist, Pierre Leroy-Beaulieu, writes:

... The Prince received the saint favorably, and the Princess insisted upon him composing for her benefit a summary of the Articles of the Christian Faith, together with the translation of the principal prayers. St. Francis immediately edited a Japanese version of the Cathecism and a translation of the Credo.

Francis was very impressed by some aspects of Japanese society. Japan had a highly ordered political and social system, excellent schools and a high literacy rate. Francis was very interested in learning about Japan and was eager to spread his faith in this alien country. The Japanese certainly made a favourable impression on him. Ten weeks after he had arrived in Japan, he wrote a letter to the Jesuits in Goa. In his letter, he wrote:

By the experience which we have of this land of Japan, I can inform you thereof as follows. Firstly, the people whom we have met so far, are the best who have yet been discovered, and it seems to me that  we shall never find among heathens another race to equal the Japanese. It is a people of very good manners, good in general, and not malicious; they are men of honor to a marvel, and prize honor above all else in the world. They are a poor people in general; but their poverty, whether among the gentry or those who are not so, is not considered as shame. They have one quality which I cannot recall in any people of Christendom; this is that their gentry howsoever poor they may be, and the commoners howsoever rich they may be, render as much honor to a poor gentleman as if he were passing rich. On no account would a poverty-stricked gentleman marry with someone outside the gentry, even if he were given great sums to do so; and this they do because they consider that they would lose their honor by marrying into a lower class. Whence it can clearly be seen that they esteem honor more than riches. They are very courteous in their dealings one with another; they highly regard arms and trust much in them; always carrying sword and dagger, both high and low alike, from the age of fourteen onwards. They are a people who will not submit to any insults or contemptous words. Those who are not of gentle birth give much honor to the gentry, who in their turn pride themselves on faithfully serving their feudal lord, to whom they are very obedient. It seems to me that they act thus rather because they think that they would lose their honor if they acted contrarily, than for fear of the punishment they would receive if disobedient... They are men who never gamble, because they consider it a great dishonor, since those who gamble desire what is not theirs and hence tend to become thieves. They swear but little, and when they do it is by the Sun. There are many persons who can read and write, which is a great help to their learning quickly prayers and religious matters. It is a land where there are but few thieves in some kingdoms, and this is by the strict justice which is executed against those that are, for their lives are never spared. They abhor beyond measure this vice of theft. They are a people of very good will, very sociable and very desirous of knowledge; they are fond of hearing about things of God, chiefly when they understand them. Of all the lands which I have seen in my life, whether those of Christians or of heathens, never yet did I see a people so honest in not thieving. Most of them believe in the men of old, who were (so far as I understand) persons who lived like philosophers; many of them adore the Sun and others the Moon. They like to hear things propounded according to reason; and granted that there are sins and vices among them, when one reasons with them pointing out that what they do is evil, they are convinced by this reasoning.

Francis spent the first year learning the Japanese language and translating several Christian writings (with the help of others). In Japan, Francis made use of the method of philosophical and theological discussion. Initially, he spoke to people in the streets. But later, he decided to change his approach. His approach became more personal and he had conversations and discussions with people in their houses. Francis was surprised by the depth of the Japanese soul. He wrote:

"The Japanese have the highest moral sense of any infidels that I have ever seen and they are so desirous of knowledge that they never leave off from asking questions and discussing all that we tell them."

Francis and his companions were successful in regard to spreading the Christian faith in Japan. The translation of the teachings of Christianity enabled them to spread their faith to many people in this country. Francis's efforts were considered as extraordinary and his work inspired other missionaries to come to Japan in order to spread their faith in this country.

In his book, The Civilization of Europe in the Renaissance, the British Historian John Hale, writes:

And to move further east still, from St Francis Xavier's first mission to Japan in 1549, Portuguese, Spanish and Italian Jesuits learned the language and tried to grasp the nature of the nine religious sects they identified there in order to argue the Christian case against them. Constantly in their letters and reports, they compared Europeans with Japanese customs... ?I am sending you? , wrote St Francis to his superiors at home, ?a copy of the Japanese alphabet; their way of writing is very different from ours because they write their lines from the top of the page down to the bottom. I asked Paul [a convert] why they did not write in our way? He explained that as the head of a man is at the top and his feet are at the bottom, so too a man should write from top to bottom.?

By 1570, there were thousands of Christians in Japan. But from 1587 onwards, the persecution of Christians began. The persecution of Christians would last for more than 250 years. In 1603, the Tokugawa Shogunate was established in Japan. In 1614, Tokugawa Ieyasu banned the practiced of Christianity in this country. All foreign missionaries were expelled from Japan. And many christians were martyred. Later, it was believed that there were no Christians left in this country. But many Christians in Japan went underground and secretly survived. They survived by pretending to be Buddhists or Shintoists. During the Tokugawa era, Japan was isolated from the outside world in order to prevent Christian influence from spreading in this country. During this era, Holland was the only country which was allowed to have contact with Japan. In 1873, the Japanese government lifted the prohibition of Christiany. And Christians were allowed to practice their religion once more.

References:

- The Lives of the Primitive Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints volume 12 by Alban Butler.
- Rediscovering Japan, Reintroducing Christendom: Two Thousand Years of Christian History in Japan by Samuel Lee.
- Tanegashima - The Arrival of Europe in Japan by Olof G. Lidin.
- The Awakening of the East: Siberia - Japan - China by Pierre Leroy-Beaulieu.
- The Christian Century in Japan: 1549-1650 by Charles Ralph Boxer.
- The Civilization of Europe in the Renaissance by John Hale.
- The world of St. Francis Xavier by VV.AA.. 
- Japan's Hidden Christians: 1549-1999 volume 2 by Stephen R. Turnbull.

Although OP's project is a great project, I think there are many other great projects too. There are certainly many ways to spread the message of Al-Quran to others. For example, there are many people and some organizations that have portrayed islam and Al-Quran in a bad light. They have spread a lot of misinformation, misconceptions and myths about islam and Al-Quran. I think it would be prudent to refute their arguments. In my view, a great way to refute their arguments is by writing articles/essays and/or books and share them on a blog/website. I also think it's prudent to refute their arguments by engaging in debates/discussions online. I think it's a good idea to spread the message of Al-Quran to others in several ways and in several places. With that said, having scattered focus is detrimental. As a saying goes, "The Jack of all trades, master of none."

I believe it's critical to have a clear purpose before one decides to start a Quranic project ? whether it's OP's project or another project. Why? Because if you don't, you will most likely get bad results. You have to know exactly what you want to accomplish with your project. Because next to effort, your purpose will determine your results. If your purpose is unclear, you will be like an archer who tries to hit a shooting target in a dark night. No matter how skillful you are, you will most likely miss your target. Hence, you need to have a clear purpose. A clear purpose is pivotal to a successful project.

I believe it's critical to implement the principles/values of Al-Quran in one's life. But I think I have a far way to go in regard to doing this. For example, I haven't spread the message of Al-Quran to others as much as I should have done or could have done. Although I have tried to spread the message of Al-Quran to others the last few years, I have only reached a few of my objectives/aims. It appears that if one forgets ones true purpose in life, one will get sidetracked/distracted by things that have nothing to do with ones true purpose. From my understanding of Al-Quran, this divine/sacred book suggests that one should strive in the cause of the God, not in ones own cause. For example, if you strive in the cause of a political party, then you will use your time to spread the message of that political party to others. But if you use your time to spread the message of another political party instead, then you are no longer striving in the cause of your own political party. Right? From my understanding of Al-Quran, if one spreads the message of this divine/sacred book to others, then one is striving in the cause of the God. Having said that, striving in the cause of the God seems to take many other forms (e.g. being unselfish/generous and striving for peace, justice and equality). 

Al-Quran suggests that the messengers of the God, spread the message of the God to their people. And they didn't ask their people for any reward at all (6:90, 10: 72, 11:29, 24:57, 36:21 etc.). From my understanding of Al-Quran, the messengers of the God were examples for us to learn from. In my lifetime, I have seen many people who speak highly of the messengers of the God. But in my lifetime, I haven't seen many people who encourage us to do what they did (i.e. spread the message of the God to others). In my view, by spreading the message of Al-Quran to others, one spreads the message of the God to others. Because Al-Quran contains the message of the God.

From my experience, one of the hardest things in life is to serve only the God. It appears that one of the biggest pitfalls in the quest to truth, is to follow one's selfish purposes aka personal desires. Paradoxically, it seems that the more one strives in the cause of the God, the more one furthers one's own cause (47:7). Therefore, I think it's for one's own good to spread the message of Al-Quran to others.

Last but not least, there are several verses in Al-Quran which encourages muslims/mumins to spread the message of this divine/sacred book to others (3:79, 16:125, 25:51-52, 41:33, 42:7).

[Some arguments against "islam based on Al-Quran.":]

Peace Wakas and everyone else,

One big problem with projects is people love to talk rather than do actual work.

For example, a simple thing that could have been done but wasn't, was make a list of Quran based islam resources we could use:
http://free-minds.org/forum/index.php?topic=9602369.msg321144#msg321144

I think that's a good idea. That being said, I think before we make a list of Quran based islam resources, it would be prudent to do the following:

1) Make a list of arguments against "islam based on Al-Quran." Then refute them one by one by using Al-Quran and historical facts.
I will get the ball rolling by sharing some arguments against "islam based on Al-Quran."

Some arguments against "islam based on Al-Quran.":

- Early muslims didn't follow "islam based on Al-Quran."
- Sects are allowed/endorsed by Al-Quran.
- Extra-quranic Sharia (Islamic law) is endorsed/supported by Al-Quran.
- Verses in Al-Quran have been abrograted.
- There is no detailed information about Salat, Zakat, Hajj and Qibla in Al-Quran.
- Obey God means obey the messenger.
- Muhammed received extra-quranic revelation (wahy).
- Muhammed is the teacher of Al-Quran.
- Muhammed's explanations of Al-Quran to his people were timeless.
- Muhammed was better than all the other messengers.
- Al-Quran is not complete and detailed.
- The word Dua in Al-Quran doesn't refer to prayer.
- The word Hikma (wisdom) in Al-Quran refers to the Sunna of Muhammed.
- The word Sunna in Al-Quran refers to the Sunna of Muhammed.
- Al-Quran is not a Hadith.
- Al-Quran encourages muslims to follow extra-quranic revelation (wahy).
- Al-Quran endorses/supports hadiths that are attributed to Muhammed.
- Without Hadith we have no information about the life of Muhammed.

2) Make a list of the teachings/laws/commandments of "Islam based on Al-Quran", and compare the teachings/laws/commandments of "islam based on Al-Quran" with the teachings/laws/commandments of traditional islam (sunni). By making a comparison between the teachings/laws/commandments of "islam based on Al-Quran" and the teachings/laws/commandments of "tradtional islam", we can show traditional muslims that "islam based on Al-Quran" is compatible with logic/reason/rationality, science, pluralism, human rights and women rights. This might convince many of them to follow "islam based on Al-Quran."

Some excellent resources we can use:

- An article by Layth. The title of the article is "God alone." In his article, he makes a comparison between islam based on Al-Quran and Sunni and Shia.
- A book by Edip. The title of the book is "Manifest for Islamic Reform."